European operators slash data roaming charges

Weeks after EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding vowed to take action in response to concerns Europeans are paying too much for mobile data services outside their native country, five Euro operators have agreed to a reduced wholesale rate of €0.25 (about 36 cents U.S.) per MB of data downloaded, effective March 1. Multi-national operator 3, Dutch operator KPN, Belgium's BASE, Germany's E-Plus and Poland's Play--who collectively span 10 European markets and a subscriber base of more than 295 million, roughly 60 percent of the EU's overall consumer population of 495 million--challenged rival operators to slash their data roaming fees in response, noting the average European retail roaming rate currently stands at €5.24 (U.S. $7.59) per MB. "Simple and transparent wholesale pricing will enable competition to establish more consumer-friendly offers right across the EU," said for Hutchison 3G Europe's MD of European Telecommunications Christian Salbaing in a prepared statement.

For more on the data roaming price cuts:
- read this release

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